Sound and Sound quality

I have a pair of Plantronics DSP-500's, I have used them for years and always liked them. It now seems like I can't hear as much in CS as I used too. I am considering gettting a new headset (or headphones) but am unsure of what to get.

My computer has no soundcard, so I have always used a USB headset. I am perfectly willing to buy a soundcard if I will get much better quality sound off of it and I will get a headset/headphones to go with.

I am looking for MAXIMUM sound quality, with regard to counterstrike. Any suggestions for USB headsets (or headphones with a stand-alone mic) or of a combination Soundcard and headset?

 

question comes down to cost

for sound card, this is the way to go for a cheaper but grat gaming card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006

as for headphones, the sky is really the limit. I got my brother a pair of Sennheiser headphones (I forget exactly which ones, I think the HD212). These 201's get good reviews http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106455

and here is a thread regarding some other good headphones and some comparisons http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=197982&highlight=hd201+hd202

 

Cost is not really an issue, I am looking for maximum sound quality in regard to counterstike (i.e. directional)

When I first started using DSP-500's it seemed like I could pinpoint enemies on map, but I cannot anymore.

I guess I was also wondering about ppls thoughts on USB headset quality vs sound card + regular headsets.

 

USB is just the means of transferring the sound to your headphones. You still have an internal sound codec (on-board) instead of a sound card. A nice sound card will make a world of difference in gaming, especially if it has advanced support for EAX.

Pair that with a nice pair of headphones--whether USB or stereo jack (far more common for high end headphones to be stereo jack), and you have what you're looking for.

My concern is that your headphones might not have gotten worse, and it may be your ears from having them too loud! confused

 

The headset I have has a soundcard on the cord. As do most USB headsets (from what I understand).

 

i recommend you get a decent quality sound card, about the best you can get is a X-fi sound card, but they cost upto and above a hundred quid, spend £20 on a decent sound card and pair that up with some sennheiser headphones, any will do, they are all stunning, but the px-100s cost only around £25 to £30 and they were rated the best headphones under £100 by hifi world magazine, they look great sound phenomenal, and go from 15 htz to 27,000 htz, they weigh nothing and they are durable, just perfect! :major i-CONICA :major

 

I apologize, it seems you're right! Some USB headphones have basic sound cards built right in!

even so, a premium sound card with enhanced EAX support will certainly make a difference in 3d games.

 

Awesome.

My next question would be if headphones inherently give better sound then a headset. I have heard some people say that Sennheiser's headphones have much better quality sound then the headsets. If that is true, I would be looking at a sound card, headphones, and stand-alone mic.

 

yeah sennheiser headphones are about as good as they get, but you dont have to resort to a seperate mic, just get a sennheiser headset, they have sennheiser headphones (legendary) with a sennheiser microphone (again legendary) best of both worlds, just bear in mind that if you get them seperatly then you still have the option to walk down the street with your new headphones on, if you get a headset, its uses are pretty limited! :major i-CONICA :major

 

Only interested in gaming use, so a headset sounds great. As you can tell I know nothing about sound etc. but what are some nice sound cards to look at (or brands even) and are theur specific sennheisers that are notably better then the rest.

 

for the sound card, you cant beat a x-fi , any of the x-fis are great, but if you cant afford the platinum pro, then the extreme music,(not extreme audio) is also great, they are pricey though, check 'em out! www.creative.com is where they live, and as for the headset, sennheisers prices are almost perfectly proportional to the amount of headset you get, so just spend as much as you can afford! :major i-CONICA :major

 

Is there a real reason I would ever need the I/O drive with the card, keeping in mind I am basically only playing counterstrike?

Also is there a real difference between the fatal1ty Extremegamer and the regular Extremegamer cards? Or is it just Mr. Wendels name?

 

lol, i see youve researched theses cards now then, basically you want the x-fi audio chip, the difference between the more expensive ones and the more basic card the extreme music is the more expensive cards have the external box, and no you don really need it for gaming, thats best if you use it for home cinema or recording music, if its specificly for gaming then look out for the editions with X-ram, it stores audio samples. preventing as many system ram read-writes, freeing up resorces, it could add a frame or two per second to your games, with music this makes no difference! :major i-CONICA :major

 

Thanks. I think I have a good idea about what card I want now.

I was reading up on Sennheiser headsets, and it seemed like a lot of people thought the Headphones (aka no microphone) had better sound quality then the headsets. I looked at PC-155's and 166's and also a couple models of headphones that fully covered the ear, as opposed to sitting on the ear. Is there a better forum where people only discuss headphones, or where I could read some decent reviews? I'm just not entirely convinced that one is better then the other, or that either will be that much better then the Plantronics DSP-500's that I have currently.

 

ahem, im sorry, "a better forum"????????? i dont think there is im afraid mate, and please dont compair sennheiser headphones to plantronics, there really is no comparison, ive used both, my favorite sennheiser headphones for all round tick every box stuff i.e comfort build quality, audio quality, good looks and great design, id choose the px-100, every time, look at the pxc-200, they are more expensive but some people prefer them, althought the bass reproduction is not as good! :major i-CONICA :major

 

AVS forum has a ton of audio and video specific tech geeks here is a link to their audio>speaker section of their site, dont forget to do some research in their site however before asking questions

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=89

 

Haha, I love this forum for all computer problems and needs, I can search almost anything and get a good answer. I just meant a sound specific forum I guess, not better. What could be better then MajorGeeks??

 

nice save